The 77-year-old world record for largemouth bass, the most heralded of all fish records, apparently has been matched by an angler in Japan.

A recent catch at Lake Biwa, an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto, ties the 22-pound, 4-ounce catch by George Perry from Montgomery Lake in Georgia in 1932.

This record, and the celebrity surrounding rapid-growth, Florida-strain bass that have approached record size in southern California reservoirs, has become the most heralded chase in the world of fishing.

A 32-year-old angler, Manabu Kurita, caught the fish trolling a canal using bluegill as live bait. The catch was verified by the Japanese sister organization to the International Game Fish Association and all the particulars sent along to IGFA.

Numerous large bass have been reported from Japan since Florida-strain fish were planted there. The bass measured slightly more than 27 inches long and nearly 27 inches in girth.

Pete Johnson, IGFA public relations counsel, estimates it will require three to four weeks to complete ratification of the record.

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